18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Jasper locked eyes with Stella, "I'll do my best."

Yet their adversaries were hell-bent on taking their lives. An axe sliced through the air, splintering the wooden door of the lounge with a thunderous crash. Well, seemed like no one was getting away today. Even the most formidable wouldn't be able to retreat unscathed under the enemy's heavy fire.

In the blink of an eye,

Stella grabbed Jasper's hand and whisked them into her Arcadia.

Several assailants stormed in, firing their guns indiscriminately.

The lounge was in complete disarray, its windows shattered.

The scene left Jasper utterly stunned.

Stella had no other choice. She couldn't just leave Jasper behind to be riddled with bullets.

On top of that, the shot in his shoulder could have happened while he was pulling her to safety.

As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. The secret was out.

The silver lining was that even in Arcadia, Stella was always alert.

The RV was parked in the upstairs living room. All the food and supplies were stashed in various locked rooms. The main hall on the ground floor was completely empty, with nothing but the floating holographic timer. Meanwhile, Stella kept her hand in her pocket, her finger poised on the trigger.

If Jasper showed the slightest sign of greed, she wouldn't hesitate to send him to meet his maker.

After recovering from the shock, Jasper turned to Stella, "Where are we?"

Stella tapped her nose thoughtfully, "Hmm, how do I put this, this is my Arcadia."

"Arcadia?"

Jasper furrowed his brow. Such a fantastical place was beyond his imagination.

His gaze landed on the fertile garden, the stacked furniture in the corner, the chopped wood and bamboo, as well as the sprouting peanuts and corn seedlings, vibrant green vegetables, and ripe red grapes. Once again, his pupils dilated in shock.

The atmosphere was a little awkward. Stella probed, "Would you like some grapes?"

Jasper retracted his gaze, "No, thank you."

Was he too cunning or genuinely uninterested? His expression revealed nothing but calmness once the initial shock had subsided.

Stella remembered the matter at hand, "How's your wound?"

Jasper touched his shoulder. His clothes had a bullet hole, and the bullet lodged in the steel plate beneath, causing his muscles and bones to throb with numbing pain. "I'm fine. It's not fatal."

"Did it happen when you were pulling me just now?"

Jasper looked away, "No, don't overthink."

Stella failed to catch his gaze, unsure if he was telling the truth.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward again. She broke the silence, "Do you think the people outside have left?"

With the windows shattered and the escape rope thrown out, even if they suspected something, they should leave once they couldn't find anyone.

Jasper estimated it should have been about five minutes since they entered, but to be cautious, he asked, "Is the time in Arcadia the same as outside?" "It's the same."

"They should have left then, but we can't let our guard down."

He was experienced in combat, and Stella trusted his judgement. But she was still cautious and left the Arcadia alone.

As soon as she stepped out, Jasper was forcibly ejected by a powerful force.

He was taken aback, but quickly regained his balance and prepared to attack.

Only then did Stella explain, "Arcadia only recognizes its owner. If I'm not in it, all living things will be kicked out. Also, Arcadia can't have two owners. Once it recognizes an owner, it can't be taken away. If something happens, I can control it to self-destruct with my mind." Listening to her explanation, Jasper didn't react much. He simply said, "That's pretty impressive."

Stella couldn't afford to let her guard down and continued to observe.

The CEO's lounge was a mess, footprints smeared all over the floor.

Stella glanced downstairs to see a group of people rushing out of the office building, "Now! Don't let them get away."

Not good. They were heading towards the Sunrise Sanctuary.

The two exchanged a look and followed them downstairs.

To avoid attracting attention, they didn't run but took the shortcut to the Sunrise Sanctuary.

Jasper kept his cool, "You don't need to worry. The folks in 1803 are tough. They have guns, and the door on the 17th floor is still electrified. It won't be easy to break in."

Stella nodded. The six gates were quite secure. Plus, he had thought about possible attack scenarios and countermeasures in the past few days. As long as Cody and the others didn't mess up, they wouldn't be breached easily.

Taking the shortcut was faster. They reached the residential area soon.

Sensing no major movements in the building, Jasper led Stella to a concealed spot to hide.

Just as they hid, a group of people barged in with a menacing aura. It was the same group they had encountered in the office building.

"They're in this building. There are stainless steel doors on the 17th and 18th floors. They also have guns and smoke grenades."

A disheveled woman caught up with them, urgently saying, "I've told you everything I know. If those on the 18th floor are dead, you have to return my son to me."

One of the thugs, sporting a tattooed arm, kicked the woman away, "Shut up!"

The woman fell to the ground with a cry, but clung desperately to the thug's leg, "You promised, return my son to me."

"Piss off!" The thug lifted his other foot and stomped hard on the woman's head.

The extreme cold and the merciless kicks rendered the woman unconscious.

Choosing to attack the 18th floor today was meant as a gift to their boss. But they had lost a few buddies in the office building, and the two targets had escaped.

All because this damn woman didn't fully disclose the situation, leading them to underestimate their opponents.

Fuming, the thug kicked the unconscious woman to vent his anger. After more than a dozen kicks, he finally stopped, "Let's go. I won't rest until we've flattened the 18th floor." With a murderous intent, the group charged upstairs.

The woman's face was so battered it was unrecognizable, but Stella recognized her voice.

It was Korey's wife.

Heaven may forgive sins, but one cannot survive the sins they created for themselves.

Stella remembered that in her past life, the the government had indeed rescued a group of children, all of whom had been kidnapped and held hostage. They were all properly resettled afterward. While she could understand the woman's desperation to save her child, using other people's lives as bargaining chips was unacceptable.

Stella felt no sympathy for her, but didn't deliver the killing blow either.

In this extreme cold, there was no chance she would wake up from fainting outdoors.

"Ahh!!!"

Along with the sound of a door being smashed, a harrowing scream echoed from upstairs.

The two exchanged a glance and quietly moved upstairs, planning to join forces with Angela to trap their enemies.

Their steps were slow and steady. Just as they reached the 14th floor, another scream rang out, followed by a shadow falling from the stairwell window.

The hard ice below echoed with a dull 'boom'.

Just as Jasper predicted, when their path was blocked by the electric gate, they opted to scale the wall and descend through the sewer.

Those preoccupied with navigating the tunnels never foresaw Cody lying in wait atop the rooftop.

Although frail and lacking the skill to aim for the eyes, he had no trouble targeting the top of their heads.

Two were knocked unconscious, one fell to his death, leaving their leader seething with rage. "Damn it all!" he roared.